The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-28
THE PRESIDENTS PENSION RECORD.
Facts and Figures Showing What Lies Have
Been Told in His Interest.

Facts and Figures Showing What Lies Have
Been Told in His Interest.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
GETTYSBURG Sept. 27-The following letter
from Mr.. Edward Mcpherson to Senator Allison
will be read with interest by all classes OF read
ers. and especially by the ex-soidiers of the
Union:
GETTYSBURG. Pa, Sept 10, 1887.
Hon. VIM. b. Allison. Dubuque Ia:
NY Dear Sir-The Statement to which you
ask my attention. respecting President Cleve-
lands official record on Union soldiers" copied
from the National View. q Washington I'd. CO.
weekly paper, bears the marks of preparation
for a purpose. That purpose is to sho " that the
Cleveland administration is more entitled to the
respect and confidence of the Union soldiery Of
the country than the administration of either
Grant, or Hayes, Arthur. 1t seeks to make
the impression that Cleveland has been more
liberal and more just to the soldiery than either
Of his predecessors. And it claims, In terms,
that Cleveland has approved seventy -seven
more private pension bills than Grant and
HAYES combined, and 127 more than Arthur.
The Statement" is false both In Its assertions
and its suggestions
First-As to its assertions: The pension story
of the Forty ninth Congress is this:
Pension bills passed in the two sessions 949
Bills approved by Cleveland Sos
Bills vetoed by Cleveland ------------------ 124
Bills become laws by lapse of time without
Cleveland's approval. 156
Bills ''pocketed" by Cleveland -----.------
Total " 949
OF the bills passed, TAT were in the first
sion of that Congress and 202 in the second ses-
eioI.
sion and twenty-tnree in the second.
Of the pills become laws without the Presi-
dents signature. 154 were In the first session and
The 'pocketed" bill was in the first session.
l make up this table from the Congressional
Record the United States Statutes and other
data and hal lava n fipnr N ha
rect.
The truth therefore, is that President Cleve-
land approved about two-thirds of the bills
passed, vetoed" over one-eghth. and lodged"
as to the remainder
Second-As to the suggestions of the state
ment: Its purpose is to contrast the Grant,
Hayes and Arthur pension records with Cieve-
lands, to the advantage of the latter. Now
what are the facts about those Administrations
OF the 493 pension bills passed under the
Grant administration, Grant vetoed eight. Two.
because the claimants names were then on the
pension roll. Another, because the clause in
the act about the minor children of the soldier
had no meaning Three were vetoed because
the names of the claimants were borne on the
army rolls as deserters Another, because the
And the last. because the soldiers company was
not correctly stated. He signed 49, This is
Grants record on pension voices.
What is Hayess and Arthur's record? Under
Hayes. 303 private pension bills were passed.
He approved them all.
Under Arthur, 736 private pension bills were
Cleveand's approvals were but 66S out of 949
passed. and are thus 120 less than Grants and
Hayes's com bined. and sixtyeighr less than
Arthurs, out Of total lob greater than the
former, and 2I3 greater than the latter
The contrast is what might have been ex-
pected in advance Of Investigation. Grant.
Hayes and Arthur were all actually engaged in
the suppression of tho rebellion and were in
full personal sympathy with the armies of the
Union. Cleveland's record as President is not
out of harmony with his passiveness q citizen
during the struggle.
II is true. as claimed, Cleveland signed the
widows increase BILL and the crippled soldiers
increase bill. II is also true that he signed the
Mexican war pension bill, which awards a
service pension "a distinguished from disabil-
ity pension to the soldiers of that But it
is also true, that within ten days thereafter he
vetoed the bill which proposed application of
substantially the same principle to the soldiers
of the army of the Union. His friends have
the focr to align that extraordinary discrimna-
ton against the Union soldiery with this extra
ordinary pretension of friendship for them
1t is part Of the Same programme to claim,
also, that a this date there more Union SOL
diers in the government service than at any
previous period. This ought to be true, consid-
ering that the laws inherited by this adlninistra
ton from its predecessors distinctly direct that
preference shall always be given. other things
being equal to the honorably discharged Union
soldie If it be not true, this administration
must have steadily violated this law. But In
view of the proved misstatements touching pen
sion bills. and of what is known concerning the
methods adopted in filling those places OF ap-
pontments to which tho civl-service law was
construed not to apply, and to which. there
fore, there was hold to be no limit to the dscre-
ton of the appointing power, l am warranted
in saying that until this last claim be clearly
proved by published lists of removals and APP
pointments made, it must suffer from the dis
credit thrown upon its twin.
Undoubtedly the Pension Office is doing
great deal of of work. Congress intended that
it should, when the additional agents and clerks
literally given that Office to meet the new and
increasing demands upon it, left the chief with
out excuse for delays. Had, the Commissioner
of Pensions been less vigorous in administra-
ton. he would have been simply derect In duty.
But that fact docs not hide from the public the
other fact that while lie has been granting many
pensions to Union soldiers. and widely advertis!
ing it. his own immediate chief and indeed the
whole administration have been engaged with
out advertising it, in 'in making average"
by providing comfortable and responsible De-
partment positions for largo numbers of repre-
sentative Ku klux of 1875-'78
This has certain elements of fitness IN 1t. An
administration which was made by the Ku- klux
possibility in our politics could hardly be ex-
pected to be Indifferent to the aspirations of tnt
agents who chiefly brought 1t into being. In
this respect, also, there is a contrast between
Grant and Cleveland. Grant did release from
the penitentiary near the close of their terms of
Imprisonment some of the Kuklux leaders who
professed repentance and promised obedience
to law But he did not invite them to share
with him the administration OF the government
That browning act OF indifference to malignant
crimes against citizenship was reserved for an
administration which contains within its circles
of department. chiefs not man with the
reputation of having actively helped his coun-
try in its hour OF peril, and which now, ludi.
crously enough seeks to pose the specia.
friend of the men who snatched 1t from the
brink to which, in zeal for slavery, the Demo-
cratic party had hurried it. l am, very respect'
fully, Your obedient servant.
EDWARD MCPHERSON.
The Behring Sea Complication
New YORK, Sept. 2z-An Ottawa special